Container assembling apparatus



April 18, 1939. J. E. ANNEN CONTAINER ASSEMBLING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 19, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ZNVENTOR. (fa/77a: Z. 4/7/7677 BY ATTORNEYS April 18, 1939. J. E. ANNEN 2,155,032

CONTAINER ASSEMBLING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 19 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I NVENTOR Jamar i 4006/? ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 18, 1939 I CONTAINER ASSEMBLING APPARATUS James E. Annen, Kalamazoo, Mich, assignor to Sutherland Paper Company, Kalamazoo, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application September 19, 1938, Serial No. 230,575

5 Claims.

The main objects of this invention are:

First, to provide improved container assem bling apparatus for quickly and easily assembling containers from the elements thereof which are supplied in knock-down shipping form.

Second, to provide apparatus of the type described which is simple and inexpensive.

Third, to provide apparatus of the type described which is dependable in operation and can be readily and quickly manipulated by a single operator.

Objects relating to details and economies of theinvention will appear from the description to follow. The invention is defined in the claims.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus, being partially broken away to illustrate details of construction.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side view in section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, further illustrating the arrangement of the parts, the parts being shown in operative or container molding position.

Fig. 3A is a view similar to Fig. 3, illustrating the position of the parts in inoperative or discharge position.

Fig. 4 is a view in section on line 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view in vertical section, illustrating elements of the container in assembled or erected condition and in operative relation thereof to the apparatus of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a detail view illustrating one of the molding segments or elements of the invention.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view in side elevation of a modified embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 8 is a side view partially broken away and in vertical section illustrating the details of the embodiment of Fig. '7 and the manner of manipulating container elements with reference to the apparatus to form an assembled container.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary View in section similar to Fig. 8, further illustrating the arrangement of the parts and the relation of the container elements thereto while assembling the same.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for assembling container elements to erected condition to form a container suitable for merchandising ice cream or similar commodities. A container of the type under consideration is illus trated and described in my copending application Serial No. 224,701, filed August 13, 1938.

Such a container and the elements thereof are also partially illustrated in Figs. 5, 8, and 9 hereof, consisting of a tubular side Wall member which is formed of a suitable grade of container board, in practice folded at opposite diametral points into flat condition for shipping. The said member i has a plurality of segmental sections 2 folded outwardly against the side wall for looking engagement with the internal lip 3 of an annular channeled metal rim member 4. This rim member 4 likewise surrounds or receives the end member 5 having an annular flange 6 engageable in the channel of the rim member 4. In assembling the elements I, 4 and 5, the rim member 4 and end member 5 are initially disposed as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 9 and the tubular wall member is then inserted within the flange 6 and lip 3 by relative movement of the parts in the manner illustrated by the arrow in Fig. 9. It will be understood that some provision is necessary for expanding the collapsed tubular element i into cylindrical form and for engaging the same within the rim member s and it is with such provision that this invention deals.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, the apparatus of this invention consists of a standard or upright I mounted on a suitable base 8 and carrying on its top an inclined head 9 adapted to support the various instrumentalities to be hereinafter described in such position as to be conveniently accessible to an operator.

The head or support member 9 of the embodiment illustrated has a plurality of pairs of pivot ears I0 extending radially therefrom at equally spaced circumferential intervals.

I provide a plurality of complementary segmental conforming elements H each having 'an arcuate or concave downwardly inclined face l2, the faces of the several elements cooperating to provide a continuous annular downwardly tapered or contracting guiding or conforming'surface engageable by the tubular side wall member l and acting when the side wall member is pushed downwardly therein to erect and conform the same to its erected cylindrical form.

. In the embodiment illustrated, each molding element is provided with radially projecting pivot arm 5 3 terminating in an enlarged boss or knuckle I4 disposed between a coacting pair of ears l0 and receiving a supporting pivot l5 whereby the elements H are pivotally or swingably supported. on the head. It should be understood, however, that the pivotal mounting of all of the elements is unnecessary as it is unnecessary to retract them all in freeing the work. It is, however, a very practical manufacturing expedient to have all the segments mounted in the same way. The faces of the elements ll terminate in undercut annular grooves or channels I! coacting to provide an annular channel adapted to receive the rim of a container with the bottom assembled therein as is shown in Fig. 5. The shoulder it above this channel guides the side wall into position so that the rim engaging ledge 2 is brought into position to spring outwardly into the channel rim.

Underneath certain of the pivotally mounted arcuate molding elements I I I dispose a plurality of tappet members or pins 18, see Figs. 2 and 5. These pins are slidable in apertures iii in the head 9 and have enlarged heads 29 receivable in counterbored recesses 2| adjacent the apertures l9. The function of these pins is to elevate certain of the elements II when actuated in a manner to be described and thereby free the erected container from the said molding elements for removal therefrom. In the illustrated embodiment there are four such pins I8 for a total of six elements l I, see Fig. 2, it being considered unnecessary and, in fact, undesirable to elevate all of the said elements for removal of the erected container.

In order to elevate the pins l8 as described, I provide a treadle 22 hinged to upright l at 23 and to a connecting rod at its free end. The connecting rod 24 is in turn hinged to a pin or plunger release member 25 which is pivoted on the head 9 at 26. The member 25 is provided with a plurality of extensions 21 positioned beneath the pins or plungers l8 to enable the member to engage all of the latter when elevated by the treadle 22 in an obvious manner. The result of such elevation of the plungers is the upward and rearward withdrawal of certain of the elements H and the consequent freeing of the assembled container parts 2, 4 and 5 for Withdrawal.

The above described device is simple in nature and enables an operator actuating the treadle 22 and feeding container elements to the apparatus to speedily and easily convert the knockdown container elements to finished articles. It is unnecessary to lock up and unlock the segments thereof prior to and subsequent to each assembling operation, as has been the case in certain hitherto known devices. Moreover this apparatus is ideally suited to the assembly of the particular type containers referred to above. It is contemplated that devices as described shall be furnished to merchants packaging their products in the containers under consideration for erection of the containers on the premises.

In Figs. '7, 8, and 9, there is illustrated a modifled embodiment of the invention, differing from that shown in Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, in that the mechanism for elevating the elements H, i. e.. treadle 22, plunger release member 25, pins l8, and the associated structure, are omitted and in place thereof each of the holding elements II is provided with a coil spring 28 disposed between the same and head 9 in suitable recesses 29 formed the element and head to receive the springs. These springs normally urge the elements II upwardly to the position illustrated in Fig. 9, but yield under pressure exerted on tubular container member 2 in the assembling operation sufficiently to guide the same at all times until it is inserted in the metal container reinforcing element 4. Thereafter, they spring upwardly to free the erected container for removal from the apparatus. In all other respects, the twomodiflcations are similar.

The manner of manipulating the container elements relative to the apparatus is the same in both embodiments of the latter. Rim 4, with a bottom plate inserted therein, is initially disposed in annular groove I! with the elements H in operative position as illustrated in Fig. 3 or Fig. 9. The tubular member I is then advanced downwardly in either partially or completely collapsed form, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 9, until it engages the molding surface constituted by elements I l. Further movement causes the tubular member to expand to circular form, shown in' solid lines in Fig. 9, and the assembly is completed when the out-turned container sections 2 pass flange 3 of the rim and snap outwardly into the channel of the same, see Fig. 5, to hold the parts securely in erected position.

I have illustrated and described my improvements in embodiments which are very practical. I have not attempted to illustrate or describe other embodiments or adaptations as it is believed this disclosure will enable those skilled in the art to embody or adapt my improvements as may be desired.

Having thus described my'invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A container assembling apparatus comprising a head provided with a plurality of pivot ears, segmental complementary conforming sections pivotally mounted on said. ears to normally rest on said head, said sections each having an inner arcuate inwardly inclined conforming surface terminating in an undercut segmental channel, the sections coacting to provide a downwardly tapered annular conforming surface terminating in an annular undercut channel adapted to receive a container rim, said conforming surface being adapted to conform a container wall to cylindrical form as it is pushed downwardly and to guide an external flange thereon into a rim disposed in said channel, and spring means acting on said sections for automatically and simultaneously retracting certain of said sections to release the assembled work immediately following passage of the flange past the uppermost edge of said channel.

2. An apparatus for assembling containers comprising a support, complementary arcuate segments mounted on said support, said segments each having an inner arcuate inwardly inclined conforming surface and a shoulder at the innermost edge of such surface providing in erecting position an annular recess receiving a reinforcing rim for insertion therein of a bottom flangeon a container, and spring means normally urging said segments upwardly in spaced relation to said erecting position, said inwardly inclined sur faces being adapted to conform a cylindrical wall element and guide it into said rim as the wall element is pushed downwardly within the segments, said segments yielding downwardly toward erecting position under the force exerted there'- on by the wall element, said spring means automatically and simultaneously retracting certain of said segments from erecting position when said flange passes the shoulder on said surfaces and engages in said rim.

3. A container assembling device comprising a head, a plurality of conforming members movably mounted on and disposed to rest on said head when in erected position to define an annular conforming die having an internal in clined arcuate surface extending radially inwardly and downwardly, said conforming die being adapted to guide and expand a collapsed tubular container wall member, and spring means for automatically elevating said conforming members relative to said head to disengage the members from an assembled Wall member immediately following completion of the insertion of the container wall member relative to the conforming members.

4. A container assembling device comprising a head member having a plurality of pivot ears, a plurality of conforming members pivotally connected to said ears and disposed annularly above said head member to define a conforming die, said conforming members each having an internal inclined arcuate surface extending radially inwardly and downwardly and an arcuate shoulder at the innermost edge of said surface defining an arcuate recess beneath the same receiving a flanged reinforcing rim of a container, said conforming die being adapted to guide and expand a collapsed tubular container wall member to final erected position with the flange of the container disposed in said rim, and spring means for resiliently supporting said conforming members above said head, said last named means being effective immediately following passage of the flange past said shoulder to disengage the conforming members from the wall member.

5. A container assembling device comprising a head member, and a plurality of conforming members pivotally connected to and disposed annularly above said head member to define a conforming die, said conforming members each having an internal inclined surface extending radially inwardly and downwardly and a shoulder at the innermost edge of said surface defining an annular recess beneath the same adapted to receive a reinforcing rim of a container, said conforming die being adapted to guide a tubular container wall member into said rim, with an outturned flange member on said wall member engaging therein, and spring means for automatically disengaging said wall member when said flange member passes the shoulder of said recess on its movement toward the rim.

JAMES E. ANNEN. 

